Half Broken
by latin-speaking-tree
Summary: This story picks up near the end of Half Lost before (spoiler alert if you haven't read the last book) Gabriel dies. An alternate ending where Gabriel doesn't die. In this story we will learn of the world of Witches after the war is over,


_**Hey guys! This is my first Half Bad story but I hope it's good? What's most likely going to happen is I'm going to write the whole thing at once now (it's 5am, I seem to always write in the middle of the night with no sleep, that's when my creative side comes out, probably not a good sign) and then post the chapters periodically, probably once a week so you guys can suffer knowing I have the story finished and I'm not posting all of it at once :) Wish me luck!**_

* * *

I rush up the stairs, my strides long. _Where is he?_ I ponder. I need to find him. No time for thinking though. Actions first, thinking second. I everything but fall into the room at the top of the stairs. I stop in my tracks. There he is. Alive. And it seems the only injury is a wound on his leg. A bullet wound? That could mean two things; a) he's going to die in a matter of minutes if it's the special Hunter bullet that goes to your heart, or b) he has time, the Hunter bullet has poison in it but once it's cut out he can heal. I gently pad forwards. Cautiously. How the hell am I going to do this? I don't know the first damn thing about getting bullets out of people. Lucky for me it seems that the bullet is just a poison bullet, not a specialised one. Relief floods through my veins. I can do this. Deep breathe in. Just as my knife (ordinary one that I got as a present from Gabriel, not the Fairborn) grazes his skin, Gabriel makes a whimper. I look up and see dark red blood, flowering over Gabriel's chest. Adrenaline surges through Me. Control it. Breathe in. Breathe out. Slowly-

 _Kill. Kill whoever hurt the boy on the floor. We pounce. Some boy runs into the room, steps in front of us. We can't hurt this boy. He's special. We fall to the ground._

 _"Nathan! Nathan stop! It's not real!"_

 _What isn't real? We don't understand. We stop. We stand. Slowly we calm down. Adele stands before us, her skin a silvery grey, the colour of metal. And suddenly -_

Everything is back to normal. I turn around.

"Jessica?"

As the shards of glass slow down in her eyes, the last of the illusion falls away. Everything is fine. Gabriel is fine. Somewhere. Not here. So where is he? At least Jessica is dead. That's it. Everyone that needs to be dead is dead. It's over. Well for me at least, the others, like Celia now have to clean up the aftermath. But my part is done. I collapse with relief. Arran comes over to me. I feel the comfort of his hand on my shoulder.

"It's all over now, Nathan. I'm sure Gabriel is somewhere in here alive and well and safe." I nod. Tears roll down my cheeks. I let myself be vulnerable for once. And he is here. I can feel his embrace around me. "You've been away a long time, were you lost?" he whispers, his breathe gently caressing my ear. His long, slender fingers run through my hair. I sob into his chest. I'm sure he's ecstatic to see me feeling something other than anger.

"I was wounded, not lost," I choke out.

"Shhh, it's alright. It's all over now. We can leave now. We can go." And we do just that. I hug Arran, say goodbye. I know I'll see him soon. I can trust Arran to find me no matter where I am.

Hand gripped in mine, Gabriel and I walk out, not looking back. Not looking at the corpses littered all around us. The ones we both know I killed. We walk past the room I know Annalise is sitting in. I don't care about her anymore though, justice will be served through the new Council that will be formed. I no longer feel the urge to bring revenge upon her. Karma will do its job.

* * *

And we walk on. And on. And on, until we find a good place. By a river. The thick canopy of trees guarding us from any incoming intruders, although I doubt there'll be many. With Soul, Wallend, and Jessica dead, everyone will listen to Celia. We all just want peace now. So I grow us a den, just like my father's. Gabriel goes to find some wood for the fire. It took a lot of persuading to get him to go, he didn't want to leave me alone. But after many reassurances from me, he left.

Not too long after, he comes back with loads of branches in his arms. He brings them inside our small, cosy den and lights them. I sit beside him, our knees just barely brushing.

" How come you didn't get wounded at all today?" I enquire quietly. At first he doesn't answer and I'm not sure if he heard me. Just as I'm about to repeat myself, he replies.

"I hid as the guard amongst all the other Hunters. I didn't want to kill anyone, I sat this one out. I just... I knew you would be alright because you're invincible, and I knew you would want me to be safe. I...I did it mostly for you but to be honest with you, Nathan, I'm quite selfish. I didn't want to die. I'm a coward. I know you expected more of me. I'm sorry." I'm glad. I'm glad that for once he didn't try to be my knight in shining armour. I'm glad that he put himself before me, even though by doing so he was still doing it for me. I push my hand through my black hair, it tumbles back over my eyes.

"Gabriel, I hardly fucking mind that you're alive. I couldn't be hurt. But you could. So shut up and stop being sorry for being alive," I growl. Then I soften ny voice, "I certainly prefer you alive. Thank you."

His eyes widen, then return to normal. His brown locks scatter as he nods his head, eyes locked on the floor. He's still ashamed of himself. Anger slowly engulfs me. I try to calm myself. There's no point in being angry at him. No point. No point. A low growl erupts from my chest. I climb out of the den as fast as possible, I can hear the crunch of Gabriel's weight behind me.

"Stay here. I'm going for a run," I bark at him before I break into a sprint. It's a good way to relieve tension. Gabriel has time to come to terms with the fact that I would rather have him alive than have him come after me during the war. Why can't he understand that? Of course, if the roles were reversed...At least he had half a mind to stay put, I don't think I would've been able to do that. My pace slows. Chest heaving from the run, I jog back to the den. It's late, Gabriel will be worried.

I'm so tired by now I nearly miss the den. The only thing alerting me of its presence is the low glow of the fire. I kneel and scramble in as gently as possible, registering Gabriel's quiet snores. Usually he would've stayed up until I got back. That's weird. I plop down beside him, my head resting beside his shoulder. I gaze at his sleeping form, so peaceful it's hard to believe that he's a Black Witch. Obviously it's easy to tell when he's awake, with the golden flecks floating in his eyes but now? He looks no different from a White Witch. I prop myself up on my elbow, and lean down to kiss his forehead. My lips graze his smooth forehead and suddenly I'm so relieved that he's alive. I don't know if I would be able to deal with everything that's happened recently if he wasn't here to help me through it. I add in a few more branches to the fire as a wave of exhaustion hits me. Today really did take its toll on me. I fall back to the ground and for once, I don't need help falling asleep. Gabriel by my side is all I need.

* * *

I wake up cold. The fire has been long out. Immediately I start scrambling around, looking for Gabriel. He's not here. _He's not here._ _ **He's not here.**_ Panic surges through me. Has he left me? Has he grown so tired of my attitude that he got up and left without even saying goodbye? No. That isn't possible. He loves me. I pounce out of the den. Gabriel is still nowhere to be seen. I collapse to the ground. He really has left. I sit like that for a while. Not doing anything, just wondering where I went wrong. I could possibly still go and try to find him, see if he left any tracks. Of course I'm no great tracker like Nesbitt but...a sigh leaves my mouth. My head resting in my palms, I go through every possibility. Where do I go from now? I don't know how to function without Gabriel. I clearly still know how to look after myself, like how to hunt, etc. But socially? Emotionally? _Mentally?_ No. He's been with me for so long, he's been the one to help me sort myself out. If it weren't for him I probably would've killed everyone. As much as everyone said that Annalise brought out the White Witch in me, really it was Gabriel who helped me control my Black side which in turn showed more of my White side.

I don't know how long I sit like that for. A pretty damn long time if you ask me. Turns out sitting for hours in one spot and contemplating life is a good way to put yourself in a really bad mood. Who would've guessed. (Hint: any sane person.) I suppose I sit there like that most of the day. By the time I get up the sun is setting and my legs are stiff. While stretching out my legs, I go through my options again. There's option A) Spend another night here and see if Gabriel comes back, and then there's option ) Get up and leave, find a place to stay, forget about Gabriel, turn into a tree, never return. I let out a cold, harsh laugh that scrapes my dry throat. It must've been a while since I last drank. I settle for option A (simply because I refuse to believe that Gabriel has left me) but first I have to get my shit together.

I scout the area for any possible dangers such as Hunters but the only danger here is me. At least we decided to stop beside a river so getting water isn't a problem. However, I need food. Controlling my breathe, I turn into an animal.

 _We hide behind bushes, searching for prey. As the sun totally slips behind the trees, more animals come out. We see a few bats but those don't taste the best, they're chewy. Not to mention, hard to catch. Out of the corner of our eye I see a small movement. A rabbit. Adrenaline surges through our body, ready to pounce. The rabbit moves towards us but it hears something. It's ears stand up, fully alert. We hear it too. The thud of footsteps. The rabbit bounces away. A low growl leaves our throat. The footsteps stop._

 _"Nathan?" says a voice. We still can't see the person behind the voice. He steps into our field of vision and we stiffen-_

It's him. He's back! I pounce on him, punching his eye.

"What the hell was that for?" he yelled out in pain, cradling his face.

"You fucking left me. That's what it was for. I really thought you'd started dreading me as you said you would," I cry out. He stares at me in disbelief, his hazel eyes still distinctly visible in the dim light of the moon. I look over him and notice straps on his shoulders.

"I went to the nearest town, dimwit."

"Why didn't you wake me up? Or hell I don't know at least leave me a note!" I grumble.

"I wasn't aware that I have to inform you of everything I do, Nathan." I stare at him in disbelief. Is he being serious?

"Okay, _Gabriel_ ," I snarl, "But maybe you should right after a war before you disappear for an entire day!" I see him flinch. I don't care. My breathing is rapid now, ragged. I turn around and stomp back towards the den, picking up branches on the way. I can't tell if he's following me or not but I don't care right now. I don't. I don't. I sigh. I do. I squat down in front of the den. The air is warm tonight, with no clouds. There isn't a point in sleeping inside the den. I set up the fire and after a few failed attempts at lighting it using sticks I just breathe fire on it. That works no problem.

I see him sit down at the opposite side of the fire. As pissed off as I am, I still want him beside me.

"Come here," I snap at him. Without a word he moves towards me. He's 6 inches away from me. I guess he's keeping his distance from me, either because he's pissed off or because he doesn't want to piss me off even more. I don't know which option is worse. He shakes his head, clearly exasperated. His slender hands move to push his curls behind his ears.

"I got us some cash, food, and other necessities. It should last us 3 weeks, maybe a month," he mumbles. Its disheartening, seeing him like this. This boy usually so full of life and energy has now turned into a more subdued version of me. Hopefully this passes. I'll still love him either way but...

"I'm sorry," the words leave me before I can stop myself. He looks up at me, the corners of his mouth turned up in a small smile.

"I think this is the second time you've apologized to me, ever. Get me a notebook I need to write the date down," he jokes. I grin, I know this means he forgives me. I wince when I notice is his eye. It's started bruising and swelling.

"Heal your eye," I command.

"No."

"Why?"

"So you can be reminded that you hit me, your boyfriend." My eyes widen. We never really officiated things.

"Boyfriend?" I ask. He grins.

"Yeah I don't want you kissing any of your other friends the way you kiss me." My face warms up. I inch closer to him, we''re still not quite touching. All I want to do _is_ touch him. But I won't. I can control myself. He rolls his eyes, almost as if he knows what I'm thinking. He rummages through his back pack. He hands me chocolate and some dried fruits.

"Eat up, Wolf Boy," he chuckles. He really thinks he's so funny. I'm not gonna deny some food though. I'm starving. I wolf down the food. Gabriel watches me intently.

"What?" I ask. He chuckles again, his chuckle slowly starting to annoy me.

"When you eat, its like you're in your own world. You barely pause to breathe, you just stare at your food and eat it as fast as possible. It's adorable," he grins. I shove thin gently, making sure he doesn't fall into the fire. He grabs my arm and pulls me into his warm embrace. My body is pressed flush against his. He leans his chin on my shoulder. I take a moment to appreciate the beauty that is Gabriel Boutin. His brown curls flop over his eyes, the lighter bits in his hair matching the gold specks in his eyes. His face is narrow with a defined jawline, plump lips grace his face. Everything about him is just so beautiful. He presses his pouty red lips to my warm cheek. My breathe hitches in my throat. I've longed for this for so long. Gabriel has longed for this even longer. Finally we can relax and enjoy life. There's no more danger.

I turn around and press my lips to his. It starts slowly, gently. But as time passes it turns into a hungry, passionate kiss. My hands roam through his silky smooth hair, his hands are on my chest. It's perfect. Suddenly I taste something salty. We break apart and Gabriel gazes at me. His thumbs wipe my cheeks. Had I been crying? I suppose so. He frowns a bit, his pretty lips turned downwards.

"Why are you crying?" he asks, concern laced through his words.

"I-I don't know. I guess I'm just relieved," I mumble. He pulls me even closer, practically squishing me. But I don't mind. I love being close to him. He presses a kiss to the top of my head and close his eyes, keeping his mouth there.

"Je t'aime, ma chère," he whispers. My body shivers of its own accord. We stay like that for a long time, until I can feel Gabriel slowly drift off. I make him lie down and as soon as I'm lying down too, he pulls me into the safety of his arms. I wait until his breathing slows down to lean in and whisper into his ear.

" _Fi cariad i chi hefyd."_

* * *

 _ **Aaaaand that's a wrap on this chapter. It's kinda shit but ah well. Btw the last sentence is in Welsh, I just thought that maybe Nathan would know a bit of Welsh since he loves Wales and yeah. I actually haven't finished writing this story but I'm still gonna post this because I want some feedback before writing anything else so I know this isn't complete carp. Also fun fact, my birthday is the same day as Nathan's, it's exciting. Anyway, this is it for now, I'll be updating soon hopefully!**_

 _ **Love, Nat x**_


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